The Dillon tribune., 1887-02-11

.+ ,ras leaves and what was Con-
not tell "h.'v IN :, line of fire in their faces
sa,,erate soldiers tifl q Inv
Iii them the difference. hr;c.de stor,ne,
The tnl.u ,'.. This time they climbed quite to
the he,sn; .;t. Tho lire in front ct them was
the r',ie E',,: ~ fire. awful and deadly. just
ono s'esv s,,at ball struck Col. Morrison in the
then mn. % e.,trc Illinois political leader reeled
hip ~. NM and then fell to the ground. That
sndel the desperate ''ss'''"'''
terv remained untaken :,,,,,o,., 80 ,,,,,.
Ano0nd as ,nc. happened here. The flashes
snu .,.a | inns set fire to the thiclly cluster
no" ,a,, s.J leaves. They famed up like dry
ing u consuming the dead, dying and
straw, -, so,1iers who lay about in some spots
"ouL "a1:.,.1,, n, the leaves themselves. a con-
q as,sh,. u number of the helpless ones were
..s1 eoe.a to death, Col Heilnan, who had dis
Dtsn'.;sho,, Dol'%h himself at Fort Henry, was in
usu.aud If the Confetlerates at Maney's bat
eOlH; H;s men leaped over in front of their
e1y. .rtar the assault, and saved such SIS
they could r,, .,,., ,c.,, .,.,,
.rd wore away. Up to the arrival OF Lew
wallace, on Friday, tho Federal forces en-
..osd numbered only $4,000 men. Tho enemy
1H not know it. but they were without sup
ri;es The roads were too heavy to transport
tood and munitions, and these had l'oen sent
.,r,,,nd by water. The morning Ut tho lath
the Union soldiers were absolutely without
food ...
.sme on, It was terrible. Tue men had not
Iared TO sleep during the night. They could
,ok build fires, for these would have been
,,arely 50 many targets for mlslsetry and ar
tllerv from tho fort There were no shelter
s.ns for them. Dawn found them numb and
,tieP with the cold, their clothing wet through
N the skin aud frozen ON their backs. Col.
Crafts j. Wright, Thirteenth Missouri, sat
spon log wrapped in hisb1anket till 8 o'clock
ia the morning.
81 tho Federal soldiers stood the night
through. AT dawn the hit hogan to shine
upon a bitterly cold day. Fires were built
tovaru the ,r;.. then, and companies, in turn
relieving one another, went back and thawed
their frozen garments and made coffee.
But they had no food, not q bite. Their
snly breakfast was coffee. and thus they made
ready to face the day.
For the COnietlclutes IN the fort it was not
n whit more comfortable. They lay upon
their arms all night in tho trenches. And
vet nobody on either side was dishcartenctl.
The Confederate soldiers were full of fight
and enthusiasm. At noon the Federal Gen.
Lew WaIlscs and his Third division Of min
gled veterans and raw recruits arrived into
camp in tho center with cheers and songs
and bugles sounding. Gen. Wallace rode
Immediately to Grants headquarters and
dined with him on crackers and coffee The
general was nearly as badly off as his men.
1t was this day thnt the interchange of
oourtesies between the titNt and the fort took
place.
Meantime there was not nucl, fighting on,
hnd Re-enf0lren,ents were arriving for
Grant, and were being posted.
Grants troops were distributed over Il line
nearly four miles long. His own head
quarters We're ut tho log house Of Mrs. Crisp,
two miles from Dover, at the head Of Hicls.
man creek. 1t was n little to the left III tn.
center Of his army, and between the divisions
4 Lew Wallace and Gen. G.. +. Smith.
Sohaving arranged mstters t" suit hin,
Grant sat down in the midst OF his blue cres
cent of soldiers to starve out Fort Donclso,i
On their part, tho Confederate generals in
ade the fort were quite aware Of their peril
1hs night Of the 14th Gems. Floyd. Pillow
and Buckner held council and resolved t,
cut their way out of the fort through til
Federal lines next morning. Ten thousan'
troops were set apar: for this grand sortie
Tho Confederates too had been rt-enforce.1
Brig Gen. Floyd was the last to arrive, "
The morning of the 18th, witu 1000 .nca.